Berry Street Web Docs Annual Report 2016 | Page 26

S
matthew’s
story
Matthew was 16 when he was referred to us after many years
of parental drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. At
the time of his referral, Matthew was an inpatient in hospital because
of his strong suicidal ideation and self-harm. We knew moving to a
residential home and leaving the ‘security’ of the hospital would be very
challenging for Matthew. In the early days, he would cover his face with his
hair or jumper or hide under the table. Ben and Joan, two of our residential care
workers, persevered when he rejected them and slowly built up Matthew’s trust.
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started to explore his sense of self and identity. He joined a local drama group,
began a part-time job and returned to school on a part-time basis after a threeyear break. While Matthew is likely to continue to experience worrying times
because of his mental health issues, he now understands himself so much
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25

As Ben said, “Matthew has grown incredibly over his time at Berry Street
and has become a strong, independent and very capable young person.
We are all so proud of how much he has achieved.”
BERRY STREET